On Writing
"The adverb is not your friend."
— Stephen King, On Writing (2000)
Introduction
| On Writing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full title | On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft |
| Author | Stephen King |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Writing; Authorship; Memoir |
| Genre | Nonfiction; Memoir; Writing guide |
| Publisher | Scribner |
Publication date | 3 October 2000 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback); e-book; audiobook |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 978-0-684-85352-9 |
| Website | simonandschuster.com |
📘 On Writing is Stephen King’s hybrid memoir-and-craft guide, pairing scenes from his life with plain-spoken lessons on how writers work and improve.[1] First published by Scribner in 2000, the book has stayed in print through a 10th-anniversary update (2010) and a 20th-anniversary edition that adds new material from Joe Hill and Owen King.[2][3][1] Its architecture moves from “C.V.” and “What Writing Is” to “Toolbox,” “On Writing,” and “On Living: A Postscript,” blending memoir, mechanics, and method.[4] King writes in an unfussy, tough-love register—“read a lot, write a lot,” avoid fussy diction and adverbs, draft “with the door closed” and revise “with the door open”—so the book reads like a lived-in workshop.[5] It won the Bram Stoker Award for Nonfiction and the Locus Award for Best Non-fiction for works published in 2000.[6][7] In 2011, TIME placed it on its “All-TIME 100 Nonfiction” list.[8]
Chapter summary
This outline follows the Scribner 20th-anniversary trade paperback (2020; ISBN 978-1-9821-5937-5).[1][4]
📖 1 – First Foreword.
🧭 2 – Second Foreword.
🗣️ 3 – Third Foreword.
📜 4 – C.V..
🧠 5 – What Writing Is.
🧰 6 – Toolbox.
✍️ 7 – On Writing.
❤️🩹 8 – On Living: A Postscript.
🚪 9 – And Furthermore, Part I: Door Shut, Door Open.
📚 10 – And Furthermore, Part II: A Booklist.
➕ 11 – Further to Furthermore, Part III.
🔭 12 – Even Further to Furthermore, Part IV.
🎧 13 – Owen King: Recording Audiobooks for My Dad, Stephen King.
💬 14 – Joe Hill: A Conversation with My Dad.
Background & reception
🖋️ Author & writing. King positioned the book as both a selective “C.V.” and a practical “textbook” for writers, released in 2000 by Scribner and available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audiobook.[2] The project crystallized around a turning point: after he was struck by a van in June 1999, he describes returning to the page—slowly at first—as part of his recovery.[5] The structure readers encounter runs from “C.V.” and “What Writing Is” through “Toolbox” and “On Writing,” then closes with “On Living: A Postscript.”[4] The voice is colloquial and directive—he urges daily practice (often about 2,000 words), warns that “the adverb is not your friend,” and advises drafting behind a closed door before revising for readers.[5] A 10th-anniversary edition (2010) updated the reading list, and a 20th-anniversary edition (2020) added new material and pieces by Joe Hill and Owen King.[3][1] First-edition bibliographic details for the 2000 Scribner hardback—288 pages; ISBN 978-0-684-85352-9—are confirmed by major library records.[9][10] The original audiobook appeared in 2000, unabridged and read by King.[11]
📈 Commercial reception. Upon publication, Publishers Weekly reported a 500,000-copy first printing in October 2000.[12] The publisher now bills the title as a “million-copy bestseller,” and continues to promote the 20th-anniversary edition and a refreshed audio read by King with Joe Hill and Owen King.[1] The work has remained available across formats since 2000.[2]
👍 Praise. The Washington Post called the book an enjoyable blend of autobiography and instruction, noting how King uses personal memories to illuminate craft.[13] Kirkus Reviews singled out the closing account of the 1999 accident as “tightly controlled” and “as good and as true as anything King has written.”[14] Publishers Weekly highlighted the book’s “valuable advice” for novice writers and its candid, authoritative voice.[12]
👎 Criticism. In The Guardian, Jay Parini argued that King has “nothing much to say about writing that isn’t obvious,” finding the craft dicta less compelling than the life story.[5] Publishers Weekly observed that the book’s three main parts “don’t hang together much better than those of the Frankenstein monster.”[12] The Washington Post noted that some readers might bristle at King’s just-folks persona even while finding the mix enjoyable.[13]
🌍 Impact & adoption. TIME placed On Writing on its 2011 “All-TIME 100 Nonfiction” list, cementing its status beyond genre and how-to circles.[8] In higher education, it appears on creative-writing syllabi—for example, Arizona State University’s ENGLISH 394 (Spring 2023) lists On Writing as a required text.[15] U.S. public institutions also recommend it: the Library of Congress’s National Library Service includes On Writing on its curated “Writing Books” list (catalogued as a 2000 bestseller).[16]
Related content & more
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "On Writing". Simon & Schuster. Scribner. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft". StephenKing.com. StephenKing.com. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "On writing : a memoir of the craft (10th anniversary ed.)". CMC Library Catalog. Colorado Mountain College. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "On writing : a memoir of the craft (record 505 contents)". CMC Library Catalog. Colorado Mountain College. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Parini, Jay (7 October 2000). "King's English". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "2000 Bram Stoker Award Winners & Nominees". The Bram Stoker Awards. Horror Writers Association. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "Locus Awards 2001". Science Fiction Awards Database. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cruz, Gilbert (15 August 2011). "'On Writing' by Stephen King". Time. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "On writing : a memoir of the craft / by Stephen King". Catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "On writing : a memoir of the craft (2000)". CMC Library Catalog. Colorado Mountain College. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "On writing : a memoir of the craft (audiobook)". WorldCat. OCLC. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 King, Nina (23 September 2000). "Scare Tactics". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "On Writing". Kirkus Reviews. 3 October 2000. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "ENGLISH 394: The Art of Popular Literature — Stephen King (sample syllabus)". Arizona State University. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "Writing Books". Library of Congress National Library Service. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
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